Judge blasts notorious Brooklyn jail for neglecting detainee with nasty MRSA infection (EXCLUSIVE)

A detainee at Brooklyn’s notorious federal jail was sent among the general population despite open wounds and a nasty, contagious infection — and made to wear a yellow jumpsuit to single him out, enraging a judge, the Daily News has learned.

James Young should have been sent to a medical facility as soon as a judge ordered it almost a month ago, but the Metropolitan Detention Center ignored that, order Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Dora Irizarry said at a pair of hearings last week.

“Apparently, the safety protocols that are followed is basically Mr. Young can’t touch anything and he has to wear — what is it? — a yellow jumpsuit or something like that so that the other inmates know to keep away from him,” the judge said Friday. “So he’s been ostracized for a medical condition. Let’s put a big red letter A on him.”

That’s a reference to the classic novel “The Scarlet Letter,” about a woman who’s forced to wear the letter “A” because she has an extramarital affair.

Irizarry came within a hair of holding a staff attorney with the federal Bureau of Prisons in contempt and blasted an assistant U.S. attorney for missing a hearing about Young’s treatment.

The judge threatened to hold the jail’s attorney, Neha Khan, in contempt if Young wasn’t transferred to a medical facility by noon Monday. The Bureau of Prisons did not answer a News inquiry asking if the move in fact happened.

Young’s plight marks the latest example of deplorable conditions at the Sunset Park jail, which has housed high-profile prisoners including R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell and has been described by a judge as an “ongoing disgrace.”

Judges often knock months and at times years off prison sentences, saying the conditions at the jail were punishment enough.

“Big picture, people are locked in their cells for days at a time. They’re not getting medical treatment and they’re not getting basic things like soap and laundry detergent,” said Young’s Federal Defenders lawyer, Allegra Glashausser. “Really no one should be jailed there. Continuing to put people there is inhumane.”

The jail continues to be understaffed, with only 200 out of its 301 correction officer positions filled as of Nov. 28 — and 28 of those 200 are on extended leave, according to a recent court filing. The medical unit is similarly short-staffed, with only 20 of 29 positions filled.

“MDC Brooklyn has shown utter contempt both for court orders and our clients’ lives. MDC is now so short-staffed … that they can’t even take defendants for scheduled medical appointments or keep them safe while at the MDC,” said Deirdre von Dornum, attorney-in-charge at the Federal Defenders.

Young, who’s accused in a string of gunpoint store robberies, was hit with federal charges last month.

He was initially placed in a medical unit at Rikers Island before his transfer to MDC with a fractured hand and broken leg from a motorcycle crash, as well as open wounds infected by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA – a contagious, severe form of staph infection. Magistrate Judge Robert Levy ordered him sent to a medical facility on Nov. 22.

“In fact, instead of being transferred to a medical facility, at some point, not clear to me exactly when … he was placed in SHU,” Irizarry said on Friday. “Oh, by mistake. That’s a pretty darn big mistake”

SHU is an acronym for the segregated housing unit — essentially, solitary confinement.

Young’s medical supplies were thrown out, the judge continued. “He didn’t have any new gauze to replace his wounds with; he didn’t have any kinds of sterilizing chemicals. None of that,” Irizarry said.

The unit he was housed in has no working laundry machines and the only soap, towel and washcloth James got were hand-me-downs, his lawyer said Wednesday.

“I have to buy soap from the other inmates,” Young told the judge.

On Friday, Irizarry tore into Khan, the jail’s staff attorney, as well as prosecutor Stephanie Pak, who’s overseeing James’ case

“On Nov. 22, we didn’t have those results yet, which is why I stated he didn’t have MRSA because at that time,” Khan said, drawing a sharp rebuke from the judge, who pointed out she had his medical records from Rikers Island.

“This is not a condition that goes away like a bad headache or a cold,” Irizarry said, telling Khan, “I don’t get what your role at the MDC is here, because, quite frankly, your actions are negligent and contemptuous of the court.”